Module mod_digest

Summary

This module implements an older version of the MD5 Digest
Authentication specification. While suitable for most modern
browsers, mod_digest is known to not work with Microsoft
Internet Explorer. Please see mod_auth_digest for a module
which implements the most recent version of the standard
and does not suffer from the same limitations as mod_digest.

Directives

Using Digest Authentication

Using MD5 Digest authentication is very simple. Simply set
up authentication normally. However, use "AuthType Digest" and
"AuthDigestFile" instead of the normal "AuthType Basic" and
"AuthUserFile".

As to make sure that replay is not possible across
sections of the site, or across sites (assuming a realm,
userid and password are valid in that wider context) a
secret nonce prefix can be configured with the
core directive AuthDigestRealmSeed.

If none if configured a sensible, but not particular
secure, default is used. When used in load balancing
situations the prefix should be shared across servers.

The experimental mod_auth_digest
module offers a number of additinal protections against replay.

Everything else should remain the same.

MD5 authentication provides a more secure password system,
but only works with supporting browsers. As of this writing
(December 2003) most major browsers, including
MS Internet Explorer,
Opera,
Netscape,
Mozilla, and
Amaya,
support the Digest authentication scheme. However, of this list
MS Internet Explorer is known to be incompatable with the
older digest authentication format supported by this module.
Therefore, we do not recommend using this module on a large
Internet site. However, for personal and intra-net use, where
browser users can be controlled, it is ideal.

See also mod_auth_digest,
which is an updated version of this module, in order to determine
whether you want to use that module instead. In either case, if
you are using one, you should not use the other, as they share
some of the same configuration directives.